Video podcast only playing audio on iPod

Question

Hi,
In the past (iTunes 11.4) I was able to download a video podcast from a website and link it to iTunes by adding it to the library. It would automatically show up in home videos so I would right-click the file, get info, and then change the media kind to podcast. It would then join the rest of the episodes in podcasts. Then when I synced my iPod it would copy the file to the podcasts app and I could watch the video.
Now using iTunes 12.0.1.26 when I repeat those steps the podcast joins the rest of the episodes in the podcasts section in iTunes and plays as a video in iTunes, but when viewing the podcasts in episode list view the video icon is missing (although strangely it appears in the standard podcast view). And when I sync the podcast to my iPod and I play it through the podcasts app it plays as an audio only podcast. When I check the file system at /var/mobile/Media/iTunes_Control/Music/Fxx the video file is there and can be played as a video using the default video app, so there must be something iTunes is doing to tell the iPod to play it as audio only.
I have noticed in iTunes that when I get info of the previously added podcast episodes that it shows video properties whereas the newly added episodes do not and if I select new and old episodes at the same time and try to Get Info a message pops up saying "Your selection contains more than one kind of media." Whereas if I only select the new episodes or only select the old episodes, it doesn't pop up.
Also in Get Info, under options, the new episode show an option for equalizer (although it is greyed out and cannot be change), whereas the older episodes do not. And under Sorting, the new episodes have an option to sort podcast whereas the old episodes do not.
*(Old episodes refers to episodes added in iTunes 11.4, new episodes refers to episodes added in iTunes 12.0.1.26)
Thank you.

Answer 1

Hello, I just had success getting things to work once with podcasts then tried it with iTunesU after I could not repeat it with podcasts. I had the same problem, What I ended doing with iTunesU I'm sure you can apply to podcasts it appears to be an iTunes 12 issue not an iOS issues but affects iOS devices 6,7,8. I just got lucky with solution. I am quite vague on what I did, so in coming days ( had enough today) I'm going to attempt it again and write an exact procedure. but while its fresh in my mind this is what I think I did with iTunesU to get same functionality as podcasts. Firstly talk about what we use to do, as you would do in the past I i used get info then changed it to podcast, as we know that won't work and files play as audio only. So I got my (the ones that wouldn't work on iPad but did on the mac) podcasts in iTunes and selected all (contents of podcast) then get info, i then changed them on mass to home video again( it protests but you continue). I then went to normal library ( can't recall what its called these days) created an empty playlist folder, then from my standard library i dragged all videos into it. I then selected all get info changed to iTunes U (i tried podcast i did succeed once but could not repeat) also changed institution and and instructor ( i think they must be in to work????)( I would say as it relates to podcasts you follow a similar procedure, my gut tells me its not working due to missing fields, we must work out which need filling in)
From there plugged in iPad clicked devices tab, strangely then left the actual collection in question unchecked, however below that box is another that says include items from playlist, i checked mine that i created earlier , playlist will only appear there if you went through the painful approach at start ( i.e. in get info you made the whole playlist is of type ' iTunes U' , I assume will be a similar case with podcasts). I then synced. didn't think it worked, then closed app on device and opened it and perfect there it was and it played video and then played next after etc
I am sure i have unnecessary steps but it was guess work. once I've refined it ill post technique. I'm certain it all hinges on making other fields right other than podcasts and them all being changed to the same at the same time. was weird that include from playlist worked rather than collections. that is probably key too.
Hope this is helpful, just a disclaimer i included to much info because the answer is in there.